4 Quick Ways to Reduce Clutter
Organizing and downsizing your home can be a real headache, but we’re here to help! Check out these tips from our guest Kara Rota from the Clever Cookstr for downsizing your small kitchen, as well as some additional tips on common household objects that can be repurposed as organizational objects.
Bruce and Jeanne Lubin
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4 Quick Ways to Reduce Clutter
Make a Small Kitchen Go Further
Think vertical! Stack small appliances. Also, store what you use frequently more prominently. Your counter should only contain items you use regularly—or what makes you happy. Since your cabinet space is so valuable, make sure to go through it frequently and get rid of what you don’t need (keep a close eye on expiration dates!). Using space can help you save space when it comes to drawer dividers, so spend a little to go a long way with drawers.
Use Shoe Organizers
One of our favorite organizational tools is a hanging shoe organizer. These canvas contraptions are made to allow you to store your shoes on the back of a door, but their individualized compartments make them perfect for storing anything. Keep one in the bathroom for bobby pins, make-up, and lotion; one in the garage for gardening supplies; one in your kitchen for spices; and one in the TV room for rarely used remotes and video game controllers. We also keep one in each of our children’s rooms, so that when we tell them to clean up their room, they have a handy place to stow toy cars, action figures, and the million other little things that find their way onto their floors.
Pillowcase It
Our closets are kind of a mess, but we manage never to misplace part of a sheet set. That’s because after washing and folding the pieces, we put the whole set right inside one of the pillowcases, which is a convenient way to make sure everything stays in one place.
Plastic Bag Storage
An empty tissue box is great for holding plastic shopping bags that are waiting for their chance at a second life. As you place each bag in the box, make sure its handles are poking up through the hole. Then thread each new bag through the previous bag’s handles. That way, when you pull a bag out of the box, the next one will pop right up.
These tips are even better on our podcast, which you can listen to on the top right of this page or on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook!
About the Author
Bruce Lubin and Jeanne Bossolina-Lubin are the proud parents of three boys and more than a dozen books. After saving thousands per year using everyday tips and simple lifehacks, they started their own business in the hopes of sharing their knowledge with others. They have been known to go into their friends’ refrigerators to turn their eggs upside down so that they last longer.